Is Harlan a boy, girl, or unisex name?

Harlan is commonly used as a Boy name.

How popular is Harlan?

It’s currently ranked #556 in the U.S. Recent trend: Rising.

How do you pronounce Harlan?

HAR-lan · IPA: //ˈhɑːrlən//

Harlan Boy

Popularity: #556 · Trend: ↗ Rising

Origin(s)

PronunciationHAR-lan / /ˈhɑːrlən/

English; Old English

Meaning

English: 'army land'; Old English: 'hare land'

Historical & Cultural Background

Harlan is derived from Old English elements, referring to land associated with hares or military. It has been used as a surname before transitioning into a given name. The name gained popularity in the 20th century, particularly in the United States.

Trend Summary

Harlan has seen a modest rise in popularity in the United States over recent years.

Variants

Harland

International Variants

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Famous people named Harlan

Harlan Ellison was an American author known for his speculative fiction and screenwriting.

Harlan Coben is an American author famous for his mystery novels and thrillers.

Harlan Ames was a notable American politician.

Harlan F. Stone served as Chief Justice of the United States from 1941 to 1946.

Fictional characters named Harlan

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Sibling Suggestions

Harrison Harvey Holden Hudson Hayden

U.S. Historical Usage

The name Harlan was first seen in the United States in 1880. Harlan has ranked as high as #500 nationally, which occurred in 1924, and has been most popular in Minnesota, Iowa, California, Illinois, and Ohio. In the past 5 years the name Harlan has been trending up compared to the previous 5 years.

Popularity Over Time (National)

Top States for Harlan (2024)

Year:

State	Births	Share
CA	35	10%
TX	29	8%
TN	19	5%
FL	18	5%
IN	17	5%
VA	17	5%
OH	16	4%
PA	16	4%
KY	14	4%
WA	13	4%
MI	13	4%
NC	12	3%
NY	12	3%
IL	11	3%
IA	11	3%

Popularity Over Time (National) — Table

Year	Births
1880	8
1881	13
1882	8
1883	5
1884	14
1885	10
1886	12
1887	8
1888	14
1889	14
1890	13
1891	8
1892	12
1893	10
1894	17
1895	12
1896	12
1897	21
1898	11
1899	21
1900	19
1901	20
1902	24
1903	16
1904	31
1905	25
1906	24
1907	35
1908	31
1909	33
1910	41
1911	63
1912	101
1913	140
1914	211
1915	266
1916	294
1917	268
1918	321
1919	307
1920	331
1921	415
1922	387
1923	432
1924	519
1925	470
1926	407
1927	427
1928	435
1929	354
1930	425
1931	423
1932	437
1933	365
1934	393
1935	388
1936	400
1937	332
1938	379
1939	349
1940	301
1941	352
1942	356
1943	352
1944	281
1945	322
1946	335
1947	335
1948	320
1949	315
1950	273
1951	301
1952	317
1953	274
1954	272
1955	299
1956	253
1957	269
1958	245
1959	217
1960	234
1961	227
1962	237
1963	204
1964	194
1965	168
1966	146
1967	152
1968	141
1969	121
1970	139
1971	110
1972	115
1973	93
1974	72
1975	94
1976	94
1977	82
1978	77
1979	89
1980	85
1981	95
1982	92
1983	68
1984	64
1985	72
1986	65
1987	68
1988	67
1989	57
1990	89
1991	75
1992	65
1993	63
1994	76
1995	77
1996	51
1997	53
1998	75
1999	59
2000	82
2001	63
2002	66
2003	68
2004	58
2005	69
2006	88
2007	89
2008	125
2009	142
2010	157
2011	160
2012	178
2013	252
2014	224
2015	275
2016	274
2017	297
2018	319
2019	278
2020	368
2021	433
2022	357
2023	418
2024	411